Statement of Faith

The Bible

We
believe that the Bible, as delivered in the 66 books of the Old and New
Testaments, is the Word of God, inspired (breathed out) by Him and
without error in the original manuscripts. We believe it was written
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that it constitutes the
complete revelation of His will for the salvation of man, and that it is
the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (II Tim.
3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21; Mk. 13:31; Mt. 5:18; Jn. 10:35; 20:31; Acts
20:32).

God

We
believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in
three persons -the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; that these three
are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct
but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and
redemption (Gen.1:1, 26; Dt. 4:35; Jn. 1:1-14; 4:24; Mt. 28:19; Ti.
2:13; Col. 1:13-17).

God the Father

We
believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in
holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He foreknows all that
shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself with the affairs of men,
that He answers prayer, that He saves from sin and death and accepts
into His family all who come to Him in true faith through Jesus Christ
(Mt. 23:9; Jn. 3:3, 16; 6:27; Eph. 1:3-5; I Pet.1:3; Rom. 8:14-17; Rev.
1:5-6).

God the Son

We
believe that Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the
Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life,
substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection and ascension into
heaven. We believe that He ever intercedes for His people and that He
will return personally, visibly and bodily to earth (Mt. 1:18-25; Lk. 1:
26-38; Jn. 1:1-4; 3:13; 20:28; I Cor. 15:3; II Cor. 5:14-21;I Pet.
2:21-24; Rom. 5:5-6; Heb. 4:14-16; 5:6-8; 7:25; 9:28; I Tim. 3:16).

God the Spirit

We
believe in the Holy Spirit who was sent forth from the Father and Son
to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to
regenerate, sanctify, indwell and empower all who believe in Jesus
Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit is an abiding helper, teacher,
intercessor and guide (Jn. 3:3-7; 14:16-26; 15:26-27; Rom. 8:9, 26-27; I
Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 12:13; Gal. 5:22-26).

Man

We
believe that man was created in the image of God and originally existed
in a state of righteousness and innocence. We believe that he sinned in
direct violation of God’s revealed will thereby incurring physical and
spiritual death. We believe that as a consequence every person is a
sinner, both by nature and by his/her own acts and under penalty of
eternal separation from God (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:17; 3:1-24; Rom. 3:9-23;
5:12-19; 6:23; Jer. 17:9; I Cor. 5:21-22; Eph. 2:1-3).

Salvation

We
believe that man can do nothing to save himself, but that salvation is
available to all solely on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
We believe that all who repent of their sin and trust Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, become new creatures
and inherit eternal life, having been delivered eternally from
condemnation and adopted into God’s family (Lev. 17:11; II Cor. 5:17-21;
Rom. 5:6-9; 8:1; 10:9-13; Eph. 2:1-10; Jn. 1:12-13; 3:16; 5:24).

The Church

We
believe that the universal church is made up of believers living
between Pentecost and the rapture; that it is the body of Christ and
includes all those who have been baptized into that body by the Holy
Spirit. True believers are eligible for membership in the local church
which is intended for corporate worship, fellowship and service and is
the instrument of God’s will in the world. We believe every local church
has the right under Christ to decide and govern its own affairs (Acts
2:42-47; 6:1-4; Eph. 2:15-16; 4:7-16; 5:29-30; I Cor. 12:13; Heb. 10:25;
I Cor. 12:12-27).

The Ordinances

We
believe that water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be
observed by the Church during the present age. We believe that baptism
is for believers and, as administered by immersion, depicts the
believer’s identification with the death, burial and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper was instituted as a commemoration of His
death. While vitally important, these ordinances are not a means of
salvation (Mt. 18:18-20; Acts 10:47-48; Rom. 6:3-5; I Cor. 11:23-34).

Christian Conduct

We
believe that a true believer will live for the glory of God and the
well-being of his fellow man. We believe that his conduct should be
blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his
possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and for
others the full stature of maturity in Christ. We believe that a true
believer will progress toward these goals (I Cor. 10:31; Rom. 12:1-3;
Heb. 12:1-2; I Jn. 2:3-6, 19-20; Jn. 14:15-24; II Cor. 9:6-9; Col.
1:9-10).

Future Things

We
believe in the imminent, personal, and pre-millennial return of Jesus
Christ and that this “blessed hope” has a vital bearing on the personal
life and service of the believer. We believe in the ultimate bodily
resurrection of the dead, of believers to everlasting blessedness and
joy with the Lord and of unbelievers to judgment and everlasting
punishment (I Th. 4:13-18; Phil. 3:20; Mt. 24:15-21, 41-46; Jn. 14:1-6;
Dan. 12:2-3; Rev. 20:7-15; 21:1-22).